The question of when moral identity first develops in childhood deserves more considered investigation. In this article, we examine the claim that moral identity first emerges in middle-childhood (8-12 years). An approach is taken here whereby a tendency to attribute moral shame under conditions entailing moral identity failure is considered as…

Twenty-one learning disabled students and 25 non-LD students were asked to explain their high and low scores in a bowling game under conditions of either high or low success. LD Ss' explanations did not differ over the two conditions. Findings suggested that LD Ss viewed their difficulty as something that could not be overcome. (Author/CL)

Documents characteristics of emotions in relation to action and self-perception. Argues that taking affect into account yields a different interpretation of successful achievement-change programs. Also clarifies the differences between ability and effort as perceived causes of success and failure. (Author/GC)

An investigation of the causal attributions of success and failure performances on various levels of task difficulty by 36 learning disabled and 36 nondisabled adolescents revealed that Ss' perceptions of the task difficulty levels were significant determinants of the two groups' differing causal attributions. (Author/CL)

Studies the effects of childhood achievement experiences as they might determine generalized internal-external control orientations (I-E). Analysis of I-E items revealed that those who performed poorly were most likely to attribute achievement experiences to luck. (Author)

The paper reviews research on the effects of motivation on performance of learning disabled children and presents a treatment approach (attribution retraining) designed to help children link their difficulties to factors under their own control. (CL)

Twenty-nine third and fourth grade learning disabled children's attributions for success and failure were examined. Results indicated that Ss did not always interpret successes as reflecting something positive about themselves. Nor did they view failure as something that could be overcome with effort. (Author/CL)

Two studies examined the cognitive-motivational differences between helpless and mastery-oriented children by analyzing the effects of failure feedback on problem solving strategies during testing and identifying semantic differences in children's verbalizations following failure on task. Subjects were fifth graders of both sexes. (CM)

Contrary to prediction, failure feedback increased the performance of all fifth graders involved in this study, whether they had scored high or low on a locus of control measure. (Ed./JD)

Investigated relationships between performance on a gender-neutral task and gender, self-efficacy, performance attributions, and task interest in 92 college students. Subjects decreased their ratings of self-efficacy and task interest as a result of failure. The same ratings increased as a result of success. Findings support self-efficacy theory.…

Fifth-grade boys solved sets of achievement-related puzzles, working in pairs in which one succeeded and one failed. Results showed the reward structure of the performance setting was an important determinant of self and interpersonal evaluations. Competitive conditions caused self-punitive behavior for failure outcomes and some ego-enhancing…

Discusses the self-serving bias effect and its motivational explanation, which suggests individuals minimize other group member's responsibility for success and maximize it for failure. Reports findings of a study, involving 96 undergraduates, that demonstrates only partial self-serving bias. Considers how minimal feedback on attributions…

This article describes three dimensions of attribution (locus of causality, stability, and controllability) and discusses the importance, with regard to athletic performance, of assigning appropriate attributions to success or failure. Guidelines are provided to help students and athletes choose appropriate attributions. (IAH)

This study, involving 49 teachers and 1,164 students, found that teachers tend to feel responsible for the academic successes of their students and to attribute their failures to external factors. Teachers with a high or medium rating on sense of responsibility exhibited more significantly positive attitudes toward their students. (Author/JDD)

Discussing research on the effects of developmental differences, task characteristics, teacher feedback, and classroom management and organization on children's perceptions of their abilities, this article speculates on whether and how these perceptions influence children's behavior. (Implications of this research for classroom practice are also…